Today's Mutchup

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Who knew?!!

This is wild, folks!! There seriously are 8 reputable colleges in the U.S. that offer FREE tuition to anyone that is accepted!! Definitely check out the link -http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22573.html

Word for the day.....

slumgullion -a meat stew

\SLUM-gull-yun\

noun

Mmm, mmm, mmm, good....NOT! I don't know about you, but this word just doesn't sound like such an appetizing name for any dish, but I guess that’s part of the fun of finding bizarre words. The word’s etymology doesn’t help either: "slumgullion" is believed to be derived from "slum," an old word for "slime," and "gullion," an English dialectical term for "mud" or "cesspool." The earliest recorded usage of "slumgullion," in Mark Twain’s Roughing It (1872), refers not to a stew but a beverage (yuck!) The sense referring to the stew debuted about two decades later, and while there is no consensus on exactly what kinds of ingredients are found in it, that’s the "slumgullion" that lives on today. (from Merriam-webster) So there you go....it's forever changed my perspective of stew.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The man who said ‘I’d rather be lucky than good’ saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It’s scary to think so much is out of one’s control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward and you win…or maybe it doesn’t, and you lose.

That line is taken from the opening narration from the 2005 Woody Allen film Match Point that I recently watched on dvd. I think for most people, you either have an affinity for Woody Allen films or you don't. For myself I happen to fall into the first category probably because I tend more toward the quirky and ecletic. To me Match Point is a film that yet again reaffirms Allen’s talents as a filmmaker. I haven’t seen such a quality piece of work from him since Deconstructing Harry. His talented cast and crew brought to life a story that focused on the forces of life that are both in and out of our control. The plot constantly shifted directions and remained one step ahead, yet it always kept my interest. The resolution of the film was satisfying because the plot was believably resolved while Allen presented a thematic worldview in a subtle yet unobtrusive way.

I will say Match Point is a bit of a departure from Allen’s usual subjects, but on a larger scale the themes are still very familiar. The film is set in England and opera makes up most of the soundtrack. But before you roll your eyes and groan (yes, admittedly when I heard the opera at the start I did the same), the use of opera surprisingly framed the film amazingly well because like so many of that genre’s tales, this film’s plot had tragic consequences. It really was a good call!

The acting was top rate, especially by Scarlett Johansson (Nola Rice) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Chris Wilton). The characters were real people with believable conversations and motivations. Without going into all the specifics of the plot (you'll just need to see it), I will say that the conflicts Chris (the main character) encountered are universal. They were about choosing between submitting to or ignoring his selfish desires, doing what he wants or doing what is best for others. Like a character in the tragic operas he loves, the chain of events he sets forth lead to dire consequences that disrupts the lives of everyone involved because every decision is affected by things out of his control. He ends up trapping himself in a corner that he himself cannot get out of.

Overall I would definitely recommend this film, it’s an engrossing and interesting movie, one that manages to engage and affect you right till the closing scene. Rating: R

Friday, February 6, 2009

Just had to share this...

Here's an excerpt of what a friend recently sent to me to share her thanks and her love for her friends. It was incredibly touching and something I'll cherish for a lifetime. But that's not exactly why I'm sharing it. I share it because she get's "it"...the connection between Jesus and friends. Read it and you'll see what I mean.....

"Interesting how when I first imagined finding Christ, I would close my eyes and try to picture him. What he looked like, what he was wearing etc. I'd catch glimpses of him in prayer now and then, but sometimes I would try so hard and all I could squeeze out in my brain were just features from pictures I have seen all my life. Silly me, all I really had to do was open my eyes. He has been closer than I could have hoped! He is here in person, in the flesh and I get to hug him every time I hug you guys, cause that is where he is.

The point of this email is that I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. I want to make sure, and in writing, that you know how much I value your friendship. I want you to keep this email in your bibles or somewhere close as a reminder that the days you are feeling useless, or like God is not using you, or you are not doing enough, that such thoughts are lies and you are sadly mistaken. God uses you in ways that you just don’t even realize. It is with that, I pray everyone in the world have friends like mine whose heart radiates the love of Christ."

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Azincourt!

If you like reading historical fiction (especially about the medieval period), YOU NEED TO READ Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell!!! He's such a masterful storyteller who weaves a rich tapestry of history and characters making you feel like you're there right in the thick of things! http://www.amazon.com/Agincourt-Novel-Bernard-Cornwell/dp/0061578916/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233516790&sr=1-2

I recently finished it and didn't want it to end!!! I received this book as a Christmas gift from a friend and I gotta tell ya it was one of the best gifts!! It was such a captivating read and I just loved getting lost in the book. That hasn't happened in a long time....maybe I should read more historical fiction, eh?!

Basically the book leads up to one of the epic battles in history....Azincourt. It was fought by France and England, two very badly matched armies that met in atrocious conditions on St. Crispin's Day, October 25th, 1415, that resulted in an extraordinarily unexpected English victory. Even the English thought they were toast since their army numbered a mere 6,000 tired and hungry men against a fresh and well-armed French army of 30,000. It's long been held that it was the English archers who made victory possible and it's through an archer, Nicholas Hook that the author tells the tale and politics of the events leading up to and through the battle itself. But here's a tidbit I just find so incredibly fascinating....consider this stat....an archer at Azincourt averaged a mere 12 arrows a minute and that there were 5,000 bowmen; this means in one minute 60,000 arrows struck the French, a thousand arrows a second. It also means that in ten minutes the archers would have shot 600,000 arrows!! This totally blows my mind!!

Here's a clip about the history of Agincourt (english spelling) from the author's own words....